Descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer

Abstract

Epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the prevention and control of health problems”. A population-based cancer registry (PBCR) represents the gold standard for the provision of information on cancer incidence or survival in a defined population. PBCRs can serve to identify the possible causes of cancer in a community and to assess the impact of cancer control activities. In Japan, PBCRs were initially conducted at the prefectural level before being expanded to the national level in 2016 in accordance with the Promotion of Cancer Registries Act of 2013. According to a recent report from the national cancer registry, in 2017, the annual number of new cancer cases in children aged 0–14 was 2,223 (only malignant cases, excluding cancer in situ), and the age-standardized incidence rate was 148.6 per million. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer with the aim of reaching at least a 60% survival probability for children with cancer by 2030. To monitor the incidence or survival probability of childhood cancer among the entire child population, PBCRs are essential. This paper provides an introduction to the basic principles, methods or study examples of descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer.